Stock Market & Financial Investment News

Microsoft taxes probed as E.U. questions Luxembourg, Bloomberg saysMicrosoft (MSFT) is among the firms involved in a European Union investigation into Luxembourg’s tax treatment of multinational companies, according to Bloomberg, citing three people familiar with the E.U.’s review. Two of the people said that competition regulators also asked questions about McDonald’s (MCD) taxes in Luxembourg. Reference Link

Microsoft increases orders to China makers, DigiTimes reportsMicrosoft is increasing orders to China makers and away from Taiwan makers, reports DigiTimes. Microsoft has become increasingly concerned over costs and is adjusting its supply chain to receive components at more competitive pricing that previously received from Taiwan makers. Reference Link

HP slide after currency driven guidance cut called buying opportunityThe shares of Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) are falling after the company reported lower than expected first quarter revenue and sharply lowered its free cash flow guidance and cut its fiscal year profit view. However, analysts at Citigroup, Bernstein, and Brean Capital all recommended buying the stock on weakness in separate notes to investors today. BACKGROUND: HP reported slightly higher than expected Q1 profits, but its revenue came in below expectations. The company sharply lowered its fiscal 2015 free cash flow guidance to $3.5B-$4B from its previous outlook of $6.5B-$7B. The tech giant also lowered its fiscal 2015 EPS guidance to $3.53-$3.73 from its previous outlook of $3.83-$4.30. "While we were able to manage the impact of currency in the quarter and deliver earnings as expected, we believe the impact on FY15 will be significantly greater than we anticipated in November. We'll work hard to offset these impacts through re-pricing and productivity, but fully mitigating currency movements of this size would require reducing investments and mortgaging our future. We won't do that," said HP CEO Meg Whitman. ANALYST REACTION: The decline in HP's EPS guidance was entirely due to foreign currency fluctuations, while most of the cut in its free cash flow guidance was caused by one-time costs related to the upcoming split of HP into two separate companies, Citi analyst Jim Suva stated. Most of the company's businesses "continue to perform well or at least make progress," wrote Suva. The decline in the stock has created an attractive entry point for investors who are looking to own the shares in order to benefit from the break-up, according to the analyst. He kept a Buy rating on the shares. Bernstein analyst A.M. Sacconaghi was less upbeat on HP's outlook, but also recommended buying the shares on today's weakness. Although revenue estimates for HP may be too high, the stock's valuation remains attractive, as it is the second least expensive tech stock in the S&P 500, according to Sacconaghi, who believes the shares are worth $45-$50. Cautioning that HP's stock is likely "to be in the penalty box" in the near-term, Sacconaghi nonetheless believes that the shares could get a significant boost when the company provides more information about its spin-off. He recommended that investors buy the stock on today's weakness and kept an Outperform rating on the shares. HP's fundamentals haven't changed, as the company continues to expect its revenue to remain flat in fiscal 2015, and it has not changed its capital return guidance, Brean Capital analyst Ananda Baruah stated. The company also continues to expect free cash flow of at least $5B-$6B in 2016 and beyond, Baruah added. Moreover, HP's share repurchases are unlikely to be significantly reduced as a result of the decline in its free cash flow guidance, the analyst predicted. Baruah recommended buying the stock on today's weakness and kept a $45 price target and Buy rating on the shares. PRICE ACTION: In early trading, HP fell 9.5% to $34.84. OTHERS TO WATCH: Other large cap PC levered names are also weak in morning trading after HP's report last night, with Microsoft (MSFT) down 0.25% and Intel (INTC) down 1.2%.

McDonald's under pressure to raise hourly pay as Wal-Mart sets bar, Reuters saysAccording to labor experts McDonald's (MCD) and its franchisees may be under pressure to raise hourly wages as the improved economic landscape increases competition for good workers and as retailer Wal-Mart (WMT) raises its hourly pay, says Reuters. Reference Link

InterDigital drops after reportedly lossing appeal in patent caseShares of InterDigital (IDCC) are moving lower after Bloomberg reported the company lost its bid to revive patent-infringement claims against Microsoft (MSFT) and ZTE Corp. over mobile phone technologies. Shares of InterDigital are down 83c to $50.06.